The Malone University baseball team stretched its winning streak to a season-high five games with a pair of non-conference victories over Salem International University Tuesday afternoon in Nutter Fort, West Virginia. The Pioneers needed extra innings to secure an 8-5 triumph in game one. Malone then topped the Tigers 11-6 in game two to improve to 20-12 on the season. The win marked the 12th time in head coach Tom Crank's 14-year tenure that the Pioneers have won 20 or more ball games.
 
Game One Recap
Malone got on the board early with two runs in the top of the first. Keanan Locke plated the game's first run with an RBI single. After stealing second, he would come in to score on a gap double from Ryan Sarbaugh.
 
The Pioneers saw their 2-0 lead quickly disappear as the host Tigers tallied a run in the first before scoring twice more in the second to take a 3-2 lead of their own.
 
Malone tied it up in the top of third when Nate Cobb, who tripled to leadoff the frame, trotted home on a sacrifice fly. The Pioneers then took the lead when Brenden Wells, who singled and stole second, scored on an RBI single from Michael Mathieu. Wells' base knock extended his hit streak to 21 straight.
 
Salem International fought back to tie the game up at 4-4 with an RBI single in the bottom of the fifth. Malone would move back in front top of the seventh when Zach Mottice, who led off the inning with a walk, scored on a throwing error to put the Pioneers up 5-4.
 
In the bottom of the seventh, Malone called upon closer Gunnar Smeyres to wrap up the victory, but a costly throwing error with two outs in the inning allowed the Tigers to score the game-tying run and force extra innings.
 
Still tied in the top of the ninth, Malone finally broke it open with three runs. With the bags full of Pioneers, Locke came through with a go-ahead sacrifice fly to make it 6-5. Sarbaugh, who was thrown at home trying to score the go-ahead run in the eighth, followed with an 11-pitch at bat and a two-run double down the right field line to increase the lead to 8-5.
 
Smeyres (2-2) made it through the ninth unscathed to preserve the win.
 
The Pioneers collected 12 hits in the victory. Nate Cobb singled, doubled, tripled, and scored three runs. Wells, Locke, and Sarbaugh each recorded two hits apiece. Mottice added a triple.
 
Game Two Recap
After Keanan Locke's RBI double in the top of the first gave Malone a 1-0 lead, SIU claimed an early lead for the second straight game. The Tigers took advantage of another Malone miscue to go on top 2-1 in the bottom of the first.
 
The Pioneers would then score the next seven runs. Brenden Wells, after doubling in the first to stretch his hit streak to 22 consecutive games, drove in two with a single in the third. Joe Crank drove in two more in fifth with a single. An SIU fielding error resulted in a pair of Pioneers crossing the plate just one pitch later. In top of the fifth, Tom Eslich followed a triple from Damian Maglione with an RBI single to left to increase Malone's lead to 8-2.
 
Coming in of relief of starting pitcher Jordan Knight (1-1), who did not allow an earned run in four innings of work, lefty reliever Cody Ballay was tagged for four runs on five hits and a walk in just a third of an inning in the bottom half. Trevor Beerman then came on to induce back-to-back groundouts to keep the Pioneers up 8-6 entering the sixth.
 
Back-to-back doubles from Nate Cobb and Joe Crank sparked a three-run top of the sixth. Crank would score on a sacrifice fly from Locke before Ryan Sarbaugh doubled and scored on an RBI single from Dyllan West.
 
Beeman worked a scoreless sixth and Tommy Walker tossed a scoreless seventh to help Malone hang on to the 11-6 victory.
 
Malone collected 13 hits in the contest including seven doubles. Crank, Wells, West, and Eslich each tallied two base hits. Crank also scored three times and drove in three more.

Up Next
The Pioneers will resume Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) play this weekend when they meet first-place Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville.